11:55 AM -- Another member of the PBT fan club (now largely disbanded) within BT Group plc (NYSE: BT; London: BTA) has left the British operator.

The very personable Matt Beal rode the 21CN promotion wave along with super-tall Scotsman Paul Reynolds, and as a member of the carrier's CTO office, gave a number of presentations highlighting the planned deployment of the controversial carrier Ethernet technology PBT in BT's next-generation network. (See Reynolds Leaving BT to Run TNZ.)

But with PBT's demise at BT still fresh, Beal, who is believed to have been on a rolling contract at BT, has now followed Reynolds, and a number of other big names, out the carrier's exit door. (See PBT Sidelined at BT, Nortel: There's More to PBT Than BT, and Verwaayen Set to Leave BT.)

BT's press office says that after five years at the British operator, Beal left about a month ago, having decided to return to the U.S. with his young family.

As a reminder, here's Beal in video action.



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— Ray Le Maistre, International News Editor, Light Reading